quilt shows and online classes.

"My Love Story"
Is a mixed-media paper quilt that I made and will be part of
Make It University™
my quilt is one of 30 mixed media quilts chosen to be part of the "true colors" exhibit at the International Quilt Festival
these quilts will be traveling to Chicago, Long Beach, and Houston!

“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.”
~ Rumi

For the base I burnt and altered felt, tulle and organza.The back round is layers of acrylic paint and Hebrew book text on heavy card stock. Gel pens and my all time favorite sharpie poster paint pens were used to draw on the swirls, dots and branch work. The focal is a fractured half winged felt heart and the image of the woman is also fabric and is slightly stuffed.
All of the layers were sewn together and there is also some chain and bead work in the corners.

This May Quilting Arts Magazine is hosting a series of online educational classes from designers and quilters.

When I was in Ohio in January I had the great honor to film two online classes for the
QUILTING ARTS FESTIVAL (visit this link to sign up for upcoming information on this advent.)

Helen Gregory (managing editor of quilting arts/ cloth paper scissors)
looking at my door quilt as we lay out for the filming of my class segments in Ohio.

One of my classes will be on how I alter and burn fabrics, create transparencies and resin papers. The other class will be on fabric doors and will cover machine quilting, hand work, fabric altering along with how to create resin charms and chain work.

So if you enjoy my fabric art you can get a peek into my creative process by taking one or both of my online classes in May.

Happy creating!

ART & CRAFT

One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

my days have been as busy as they are long,
my life has been so full with so many details it seams as if I can not get ahead.
I have not been as creative as I could be, so much of what I have been doing has been a byproduct of what I have already done. Trying to find a way to be productive with my art and trying to handle the business aspects is proving to be a balancing act for me. I do not look at things as problems but more as challenges and I have become very quite and still within myself as I try to work everything out. I suppose that I am just trying to soak it all in...

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.
~Henri Matisse

But here is the proof that I have been creating... I made these rings for a steep out that I am working on for A upcoming Belle Amore Jewelry... I made a few rings yesterday because the way I make something is not necessarily how I would teach it. I had to pay attention to myself as I made these rings... there are steeps that I leave out because I have control of the wire and understand how it behaves.
a perfect example of this would be the use of painters tape (better then masking tape as it removes cleanly without adhesive transfer) to help your wires from miss behaving and the use of a sharpie to help you find center.... things that you would never see me actually do, but are extremely helpful and make things so much easier!

"DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO!"
comes to mind :)

I have had quite a few different conversations with Art minded people about the debate of ART or CRAFT.

For me there is two parts of creating there is the CRAFT: this is a skill that any one can acquire but you must work hard on your craft to master it. It is vital that people share and pass on there knowledge so that a CRAFT does not disappear. Some may find that they must look to more masterful craft people until they start to develop there own personal style some never move past the CRAFT and fewer still move on to the ART.

"it destroys the craft not to learn it"
~Irish proverb

Now for me the ART is completely separate from the CRAFT and one can study the masters and try to make it there own but to truly find your own true voice the ART must come from with in some who are truly the ART never need to master the CRAFT because the ART is all they need to propel them into creating.

Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.
~ Leonardo da Vinci


For me I am very much CRAFT AND ART, I would say for me jewelry started as Craft and I worked hard at developing my skills then I went on to create and build my own style.

Creativity takes courage.
~Henri Matisse

but with my fabric ART, I have a hard time referring to myself as a "quilter" or a "sewer" as I have zero training and its just a calling for me... I can not tell you way I do what I do with fabric its just happens, for me its about the ART.
I know that ever one sees this differently but for me this is how I think it to be true.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
~Aristotle


I have received the "You Make My Day Award" a few times over.
one from Jules
and one from Catherine (I keep her phone number is in my cell phone need i say more?)

you are supposed to Give the award to those whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration. Blogs that you enjoy visiting daily because they enlighten you, inspire you, put a smile on your face or in your heart. Then let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on.

The sad hard cold fact is that as much as I love to blog and look at blogs I have not have much time if any to just "Surf" but I have found that I use my flickr contacts, once you set all your favorite people you can in a blink look at 24 different peoples newest uploaded photos at one time! this has became my one true way of keeping up with the online art world at a fast rate so I still fell some what connected! here is my list of a few of my flickr faves, and as luck has it most people here also have blogs so if you like what you see take a look at there profile to get there blog link:



samantha lambs
still life images full of beauty and purity with creative imagination that almost breaks my heart!

andrea singarella,
food for my vintage soul!

Cramzy , a fellow fiber girl that has amazing color and texture in her work!

carambatack,
I want to crawl into and live in her Mixed media illustrations!

Beate Knappe,

get a peek into her life and her fiber art!

identityseven,
Jen truly inspires me, I have had the joy of doing a few projects with her!

Dannymansmith ,
this man can sew! but when you see his work you will end up scratching your head asking "how did he do that!?"

knitsteel,
a girl right after my own heart! a blacksmith that loves to play with fiber!

lorimarsha,
takes vintage and thrift store find and creats amazing art to wear!

missjjj,
Amazing style from home decor to mixed media and a true friend the kind I call her when I need a blast of reality or just someone that understands my crazy art life!

graygoosie,
If I could choose a next store neighbour this girl would be it! Fun, colorful, unique, creative and she takes great pictures!

Sara Lechner,
No one inspires me quite like Sara, Her art touches my soul and really makes me think outside of myself!


"I would say that the thrust of my life has been initially about getting free, and then realizing that my freedom is not independent of everybody else. Then I am arriving at that circle where one works on oneself as a gift to other people so that one doesn't create more suffering. I help people as a work on myself and I work on myself to help people."
~Ram Dass

Learning to grow

STAY CLOSE, MY HEART
Its 80 right now and my family is pool side and I still need to unpack all my art supply's from my trip

but I wanted to post about the rest of my trip.

So on my last day in Ohio, Kim and I had a fun lunch with Lou and a few of her friends, then we headed to a huge joanns, now we do have Joann's in Californian but they are only a quarter of the size and 1/3 of the stock so when ever I am in the Midwest I always have to go into these mega craft stores!

Kim had to droop me off a little early at the airport because there was a big storm on its way and she had a long drive home, now the second that I steeped into the air port I get a call from Deb telling me that she thinks that my flight has been canceled because of the storm, so I go up to the ticket counter and my flight has not been canceled but moved from 6:30pm to 11pm... so with a big sigh and my eyes rolling to the back of my head I cheeked in my bags... now once I get past sercirty I see that there is a rather large mall to the left with the gates to the right now mind you it 4pm and my flight is supposed to go out at 11pm I start to walk towards the shops, I was hungry and thirsty and had 7 hours to kill....

(view of a snow covered Chicago airport)

once I made it down by the shops something told me that I needed to turn around just to cheek on my flight to make sure.... so I turn around and walk over to the terminals and it was so strange because most of the flights has been canceled so there was no one around, once I got to my gate number there were two attendants they were talking about how all the flight were going to be canceled because of the storm I walked up to the counter and they asked where I was going I said Chicago .... and they said do you want to get on this plane its going to be the last one out and there were a few sets left...
so on I jumped! we did up on the run way for 3 hours and there was talk that we were not going to get clearance to take off but in the end we got the OK!
I arrived into Chicago around 11 hungry and tired so I talked Garry (Debs Husband) into taking me to white castle he was fearfully and warned me that I did not want to try it but I assured him that I did!
and I really liked my little dubble cheese burger!

we all awoke to a winter wonderland and the boys took me


for a walk down a little back road

to this pound that was mosley frozen over but on a small patch of watter there were geease.

it was so beautiful, but oh so cold!

On Saturday and Sunday I teched 2 jewelry work shops, here are a few girls working on altering there angle pendent, All my students were amazing and they did a fantastic job!

on my last day, Deb and I played with PMC! it was a great treat for me as all I wanted to do was make myself a chain link bracelet
here is my messy work station
and here are the two bracelets that I created right before they head for the kiln.


and here you have my completed projects:

MUSE
is a tinted PMC necklace with braided and knotted fibers and silver chain with tinted PMC earrings.

LEARNING TO GROW
STAY CLOSE, MY HEART

and here are textured PMC chain link bracelets, that are so wonderful and perfect that they will be on wrist all the time!

STAY CLOSE, MY HEART

Stay close, my heart, to the one who knows your ways;
Come into the shade of the tree that allays has fresh flowers.
Don't stroll idly through the bazaar of the perfume-markers:
Stay in the shop of the sugar-seller.
If you don't find true balance, anyone can deceive you;
Anyone can trick out of a thing of straw,
And make you take it for gold
Don't squat with a bowl before every boiling pot;
In each pot on the fire you find very different things.
Not all sugarcanes have sugar, not all abysses a peak;
Not all eyes possess vision, not every sea is full of pearls.
O nightingale, with your voice of dark honey! Go on lamenting!
Only your drunken ecstasy can pierce the rock's hard heart!
Surrender yourself, and if you cannot be welcomes by the Friend,
Know that you are rebelling inwardly like a thread
That doesn't want to go through the needle's eye!
The awakened heart is a lamp; protect it by the him of your robe!
Hurry and get out of this wind, for the weather is bad.
And when you've left this storm, you will come to a fountain;
You'll find a Friend there who will always nourish your soul.
And with your soul always green, you'll grow into a tall tree
Flowering always with sweet light-fruit, whose growth is interior.

Quilting Arts TV

“If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.”

John Maxwell quotes

I arrived home yesterday from a very stormy mid west,
I was quite nervous about filming for Quilting Arts TV, thankfully it all went well!
Here is a peek on how it all went:

It all started out at 8am in the make-up chair, I was a little afraid of all the layers that went on my face but I decided to just sit back and let the make up artist do what she wanted

after I received the glamor treatment
I had to set out all my supplies on this big baking tray

then I had to lay it all out on the set table, I was nervous but once I got on set, it became so much easier, because I could tell that ever one really enjoyed there job.


and I really enjoy what I do, so it all some how became easier.


Here I am with Kathie Stull (owner/producer) of the show talking her through the steeps of what I will do.



Pokey did a great job as the perfect host and made me feel at ease during my segment.
I had a wonderful time taping for Quilting Arts TV,
what an amazing and delightful cast and crew! They made the whole experience such a joy!
Quilting Arts TV airs on PBS, follow the link you can find out if they have the show where you live, my segment will not be airing until June when the next session airs.

“Growth means change and change involves risk,

stepping from the known to the unknown.”

today tomorrow FOREVER

“It isn't procrastination if you put it off right away”

Last weekend I attended a quilt show and as luck would have it I bumped into Jenny Dho and her friend Cynthia, Jenny took this picture of us.


There was so much to see at this show, the truth is that the whole quilting world is a new one to me as I stumbled through the vendor booths it was as every thing that I encountered opened my eyes up to new possibilities. One of my goals for the end of this year is I want to start creating art clothing and learn about using proper fabric dye's... I truly think that the array of the different ways of dying that are out there were what really amazed me the most, as I really like creating my own pallet.

Now the true reason for me going to this show was to acquire what I have been lusting after from the moment that I fist set my eyes on it last September, I am not one to spend a lot of money on tools or new gadgets, if its works I am happy with it, but what hooked me on this sewing machine was BERNINA® Stitch Regulator (BSR) - This patented innovation 'sees' the fabric and regulates the length of your stitches, making free-motion stitching easy! you do not need to use a foot control there is a laser that follows your hands as they move the fabric!

now let me also add that once I got this gem home it took about 5 seconds for me to discover that its much smarter that I am! Lucky for me the machine comes with 11 classes at my local sewing shop. On Monday I took the button hole 101 class. I have so much to learn about sewing, I am really excited about my classes! It will be interesting to see how the use of free motion sewing will change my work but for now I am just getting the hang of it.




Here you have a little heart quilt that I made using all my great stamps from RED LEAD
I started out working on my fabric charms for my quilting arts tv segment but as always I got lost and started to make this quilt, I am not kidding any more its serious my next book really will be called:
"the art of procrastination"
Projects to create when your supposed to be doing something else!
(what do you think Tonia?)



I am at odds with my creative spirit as I try to walk the line of keeping dead lines and my life more sane, I just do not understand why I have such a hard time completing the task at hand...
I guess it all comes down to the fact that I do not like to be told what to do, even if that person is me!

“Procrastination avoids boredom; one never has the feeling that there is nothing important to do”

(I must say that I am never bored!)

::: "So Will I, Grow" :::

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned
Oh let me cheerfully fulfil ;
In all my works Thy presence find,
And prove Thy good and perfect will.

::: "perfect will" :::




Any time I start to clean my studio I always end up becoming intrigued with the scraps that I am about to toss out, today was not exception.
I made a little pile of bits and pieces that were on my desk, sewed up all the layers then used various surface torching techniques on the fabric and papers.
I was really happy with how all the textures and layers turned out.
once I was done I noticed a lovely stream of light coming from the window and I could not help but take pitchers from every angle.

::: "So Will I, Grow" :::
After looking at this piece Elaine Kerr ask if I had been hiding away and nurturing my dark side. and I said:
"does it look dark?"
"I was thinking that it looks like early spring... you know right once the snow has cleared?"
and then Elaine said:
"Come to think of it, yes, just before the crocuses pop up."

THE CROCUS

Beneath the sunny autumn sky,
With gold leaves dropping round,
We sought, my little friend and I,
The consecrated ground,
Where, calm beneath the holy cross,
O'ershadowed by sweet skies,
Sleeps tranquilly that youthful form,
Those blue unclouded eyes.
Around the soft, green swelling mound
We scooped the earth away,
And buried deep the crocus-bulbs
Against a coming day.
"These roots are dry, and brown, and sere;
Why plant them here?" he said,
"To leave them, all the winter long,
So desolate and dead."
"Dear child, within each sere dead form
There sleeps a living flower,
And angel-like it shall arise
In spring's returning hour."
Ah, deeper down cold, dark, and chill
We buried our heart's flower,
But angel-like shall he arise
In spring's immortal hour.
In blue and yellow from its grave
Springs up the crocus fair,
And God shall raise those bright blue eyes,
Those sunny waves of hair.
Not for a fading summer's morn,
Not for a fleeting hour,
But for an endless age of bliss,
Shall rise our heart's dear flower
~Harriet Beecher Stowe